Saudi singer Mohammed Abdo suffers stroke

Saudi Arabia’s most popular singer Mohammed Abdo is in hospital in Paris after suffering from a stroke, a newspaper in the Gulf Kingdom said on Thursday.

The 62-year-old singer, dubbed the “artist of Arabs”, was visiting France to see his daughter who is studying in Paris when he fell ill, Alriyadh said.

“He had three strokes during his stay at the hospital…but sources close to him said he is partly responding to treatment,” the paper said.

“He was able to walk around in the hospital corridors but could no finish the remaining tests after suffering from a trauma when learning of his illness.”

The paper quoted Abdo’s daughter, Nora, as urging Saudis to pray for her father.

Abdo was born on June 12, 1949 in the southern province of Aseer. He became an orphan at the age of three when his father died.

He spent his childhood in the western Red Sea port of Jeddah, where he received a diploma in the subject of "Maritime Industry" in a Saudi high school. He worked at a post office after his examination. He now has seven children.

Mohammed became noticed for his singing voice in 1960, when he was twelve years old and sang in a radio program called "Baba Abba's."